High school gymnastics: Mentor pushing forward to state

Coach Megan Mertz saw the look in her gymnasts’ eyes on Feb. 22, and the look said it all.
“Beam?” Mertz said her gymnasts asked her. “I said, ‘Yep, let’s go, we’re starting there.’ ”
Mertz said her gymnasts were hurting at practice on Feb. 23, a day after finishing as district runner-up to Brecksville-Broadview Heights at West Geauga High School. The Bees’ score of 145.950 kept the Cardinals (142.125) at bay.
The beam competition at the district meet was still on Mertz’s and her gymnasts’ minds.
“Sunday was kind of rough for the girls,” Mertz said. “They were in pain and were recovering. I didn’t want to cancel practice. We need it more than ever.”
Mertz hopes her team can fight through the pain for one more week. The beam is the area the Cardinals hope to correct at the team competition at the state meet on Feb. 28 at Hilliard Bradley High School. Individual competition is March 1.
By Mertz’s count, Mentor had six falls off the beam at the district meet, which at .5 points per fall, deducted three points from the Cardinals’ team score. The difference between a runner-up finish and a team championship can be that close.
“We’re still talking about fighting for (a state championship),” Mertz said. “We have a chance that this could be our year, but we have to eliminate mistakes (this weekend).”
It won’t be easy.
Brecksville-Broadview Heights is the 10-time defending state champion, and with returning state champion in the bars, beam, vault and all-around Alicia Farina, the Bees are still the favorite.
Heading the Cardinals’ charge down south is Maddie Marshall, a sophomore who qualified for state last season and was sixth in all-around Feb. 22 at the West Geauga District. Rounding out Mentor’s roster for the team competition are seniors Vanessa Cobb and Brianna Latta, junior Jordan Beebe, sophomore Natalie Rossi and freshmen Melissa Brozier and Alyssa Taglieri.
“To beat Brecksville would be huge,” Mertz said. “I think there’s a ton of teams that deserve it, including Brecksville. Our district was so tight last week. Our kids have worked for it, and it would awesome for them to show their hard work paid off.”
On March 1 at the individual competition, several area gymnasts will be a threat, including Marshall and her teammate Brozier, who joined Marshall in the all-around top 10 at the district meet with an eighth-place finish. Brozier was also a solid fifth on the floor at district.
The spotlight will also be on Mayfield’s Cady Luciano, who posted a robust score of 9.675 in the vault and could give defending state champ Farina a run for the state title with her best effort of the season.
“I’m just looking to get to the podium, but my confidence is sky-high right now,” said Luciano at last week’s district meet.
Other area individuals to watch are Kenston’s Samantha Nero, third on the bars at district, and NDCL’s Claire Spech, the 2013 News-Herald gymnast of the year, who was seventh on the beam at district.

About the Author

Mark's an Ohio State graduate who's been with The News-Herald since 1996. He enjoys exercising, reading, writing, cooking, spending time with his family and college football. Reach the author at mpodolski@news-herald.com
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